A digital travel diary. · WP v1.08 · Updated
With a favorable (2-3 ft) forecast at Pacifica State Beach, I decided to restart my SUP surfing season. I woke at 06:30 (after loading all my surfing gear into my Toyota Sienna the night before). . . After a quick fuel stop at Chevron, I drove to Pacifica State Beach and arrived at 07:53. Although it was early, the parking lot was already almost full!…
Read More: SUP Surfing at Linda Mar
Saturday, December 20, 2025 . After waking up at 05:00, I showered and dressed. Our Southwest Airlines Flight #4736 (SJC to HNL) was originally scheduled to depart at 07:00 but was delayed by 1 hour (new departure time: 08:06). . I ordered UberX at around 06:00, and we arrived at the San Jose Airport around 06:30. As we were a bit sleepy and tired (from…
Read More: Return to Kauai
Over the past few years, I have surfed various stand-up paddleboards. Unfortunately, the paddleboards available to rent in Oahu and Kauai are not designed for surfing, so I am constantly frustrated by the poor, oversized boards I am forced to ride. . . . . I recently read a review of an inflatable surfing-focused paddleboard from an Australian Company called Honu. Their Honu Bondi small…
Read More: Buying Honu Bondi 8’8″ iSUP
Saturday, November 23, 2024 . After waking up at 06:30, I showered and dressed. At around 07:00, we drove to Oakland International Airport for our Hawaiian Airlines (HA) flight #67 to Lihue, Kauai. Our plane departed on time, at 09:45. The flight was smooth, with some occasional turbulence. . . Since there were no movies on the plane (but there was free Starlink Wi-Fi), I…
Read More: Back to Kauai
For the July 4th weekend, Inna made reservations at the Hyatt Regency Resort in Incline Village, Nevada (North Lake Tahoe). . . . . Thursday, July 4, 2024. At 10:00, we loaded our Tesla Model Y with our bags and set out on the long drive to North Lake Tahoe. Traffic was not too heavy, but I felt extremely sleepy. On the way there, we…
Read More: Relaxing at Incline Village, North Lake Tahoe
Saturday, April 13, 2024. We woke up around 07:00, and I took a quick shower to get ready for our flight to Hawaii. After quickly getting dressed, we ordered UberX and were dropped off at San Jose Airport's Terminal A. Our Hawaiian Airlines HA43 flight boarded on time (despite the light rain), and I had already checked in the day before. I had boarding passes…
Read More: Visiting Oahu
After I finished my SUP surfing session at the Hook (41st Street, Capitola), I tried to carefully take my 9'3" Fanatic Allwave SUP out of the water. However, exiting through the surf is tricky during high tide as waves hit the launch location. One of the waves hit me, and I let go of the SUP. The SUP hit nearby rocks and was dented. .…
Read More: Repairing Fanatic Allwave 9’3″ SUP
After many weeks of hard work, Inna and I decided to take a short 5-day trip to Kauai, Hawaii. Initially, we thought Christmas travel to Hawaii would be out of our price range. Still, we found reasonably priced airline tickets on United Airlines from San Francisco to Lihue. . . . . . Wednesday, December 21, 2022 . As our flight to Kauai was scheduled…
Read More: Back to Kauai
After learning to stand-up paddle (SUP)surf in Kauai over the summer, I was eager to try SUP surfing in Santa Cruz. However, the new stand-up paddleboards for surfing were extremely expensive. . After consulting with Oliver at Covewater Paddle Surf in Santa Cruz, I thought the best SUP model for me would be the Starboard Wedge 9'2" 160-liter model. However, it was priced at $1870…
Read More: SUP Surfing on Fanatic Allwave 9’3″
In the morning, Alex was scheduled to try e-foiling with Benny (eFoil Kauai) in the Nawiliwili Small Boat Harbor. Benny was planning to teach Alex how to operate the Lift eFoil so that he could understand how to either wing foil or surf foil in the future. . . . . At around 9:00 am, I drove Alex to the Nawiliwili Small Boat Harbor (about…
Read More: eFoil Kauai
One of our close friends offered us the opportunity to stay at the Marriott Beach Club on the Hawaiian Island of Kaua'i. We decided to rent one week, from July 2 to July 9, 2022. Since I had Alaska points from canceled trips to Boston, I could use them to purchase 3 airline tickets from San Jose to Kauai, Hawaii. . . . . .…
Read More: Back to Kauai
I had a free day at work and decided to surf in Capitola. Although Surfline did not report favorable conditions, I wanted to return to surfing this season. . The 40-minute drive from South San Jose to Capitola was smooth, and I arrived at the Hook Parking lot around noon. I parked and put on my wetsuit, booties, and a cheap watch. I waxed my…
Read More: First Day of Surfing at the Hook
After surfing for many weeks at famous surfing spots in Laguna Beach: Thalia Street, Rockpile Beach, Newport Beach, San Clemente, and Trestles, I realized that my surf paddling could use improvement. . I discovered Rob, a local surf trainer, teaches proper surf paddling techniques. He runs a website called surfingpaddling.com. He is based in the San Francisco Bay Area and offers online and private lessons..…
Read More: Surf Paddling at Linda Mar
Since our fabulous trip to Puerto Vallarta and Sayulita in April 2008, we have planned to return to Puerto Vallarta. In 2019, we jumped on a deal to stay at the top-rated Four Seasons in Punta Mita (a famous surfing spot). However, due to COVID-19, we had to reschedule our stay multiple times. . Eventually, we settled on the week of September 5-12, 2021. We…
Read More: Relaxing in Punta Mita
Saturday, August 7, 2021 . In the morning, Inna and I woke up around 09:00 and took a short stroll to Crissy Field. After we returned, I made a couple of sandwiches with pastrami from Lucca Deli on Acme sourdough bread for Alex and me. . . . . . Alex and I spent most of the day boat surfing on the Petaluma River in…
Read More: San Francisco Workation Week 4
At about 10:30, I drove with Alex to Novato, California (about 30 minutes away from our Airbnb home in San Francisco) for a boat surfing session with Rob Case (surfingpaddling.com), scheduled for 11:15. This was part of Alex's 19th birthday present, and I was hoping that it would turn out well. . . . . . The plan was for 3 surfers to take turns…
Read More: Boat Surfing on Petaluma River
Saturday, July 3, 2021 . In the morning, I woke up at 7:30 a.m. I stopped by the nearby Farmer's Market to purchase a few essentials for the upcoming week, including fresh organic tomatoes, pita bread, blueberries, and tzatziki sauce. . . . . . . . After returning home and eating a breakfast of yogurt with blueberries and raspberries, we drove Alex to San…
Read More: Laguna Beach Workation Week 4
Saturday, June 26, 2021 . . . In the morning, I stopped by Whole Foods for a few grocery items (bananas, Gouda cheese) and to get cash for my Saturday's Farmer's Market visit. I purchased fresh organic tomatoes, sourdough bread, blueberries, and raspberries at the market. . . . . . . After returning home and eating a quick breakfast of yogurt with blueberries and…
Read More: Laguna Beach Workation Week 3
Saturday, June 19, 2021 . . . I woke up early in the morning to shop at the nearby Farmers' Market (next to our Fire Station). Inna and I walked over and examined all the stands. We purchased German Rye Bread, pre-sliced Sourdough bread, Grapefruits, Tomatoes, Burrata cheese, tzatziki, blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries. . . . . . . . Finished with shopping, Inna and…
Read More: Laguna Beach Workation Week 2
With the COVID-19 pandemic ending, we planned another work-from-home trip to our favorite Laguna Beach rental home (June 12 - July 12, 2021). We enjoyed last year's stay (from September 4 - October 4, 2020) and looked forward to exploring the beautiful beaches, eating delicious pastries at Moulin Bakery, and surfing at Rockpile Beach. . We were unsure how much longer our current employers would…
Read More: Laguna Beach Workation Week 1